The present invention relates to direct sales activities of all types. Direct selling is the marketing and selling of products directly to consumers away from a fixed retail location. Modern direct selling includes sales made through a party plan, one-on-one demonstrations, and other personal contact arrangements, as well as internet sales. Thus, direct sales include direct personal presentation, product demonstration, and sales of products and services to consumers, usually in their homes or at their jobs. One form of direct selling includes multi-level marketing (MLM), which is a marketing strategy in which a sales force is compensated not only for product sales they personally generate, but also for the product sales of others they recruit, thereby creating a downstream of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation.
One of the drawbacks associated with direct sales activities involves the use of purchase cards when effectuating sales. Conventionally, purchase cards (including credit cards, charge cards, debit cards, gift cards, points cards, etc.) are used by purchasers at a physical point-of-sale, such as a cash register or a brick and mortar shop, or an online point-of-sale, which includes the online checkout process. At physical points-of-sale, purchase cards are usually swiped through a card reader, while online points-of-sale require that purchase card data is input manually. These constraints limit the locations and circumstances where purchase cards can be used. This can be a disadvantage in direct sales situations where consumers are engaged at home or at their jobs, i.e., away from conventional points-of-sale.
Another drawback associated with direct sales activities involves recurring sales. In certain situations, consumers often desire to have products or services delivered to them regularly. One example of recurring sales involves food products, such as nutritional supplements, that are consumed at a fast rate and require replenishment regularly, such as once a month. If a consumer desires to use his purchase card for recurring sales, however, the purchase card must be swiped through a card reader, or its data input manually, for each recurring sale. This can be tedious and time-consuming for a consumer.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for improving the problems with the prior art, and more particularly for a more efficient method and system for facilitating the use of purchase cards in the course of direct sales activities.